East Helena rodeo feels like home for local breakaway roper

The East Helena Rodeo Grounds hosted the East Helena Rodeo July 9-11, and for Hailey Burger, a Helena breakaway roper, the bigger pull was the people in the stands. Burger said competing in front of a hometown crowd gave the weekend a different kind of weight, turning one of Montana’s longtime rodeo stops into something closer to a community homecoming.

Burger’s tie to the sport started early, when her interest in horses grew into a competitive career in breakaway roping. Montana State University Athletics lists her as a sophomore on the women’s rodeo team from Helena, with competition in goat tying, barrel racing, breakaway roping and team roping.

The East Helena Valley Rodeo Association has preserved rodeo heritage for more than 60 years and says more than 30 committee members work year-round to keep it going. The association describes itself as a nonprofit, volunteer organization, and says all profits from the July rodeo go to upkeep of the arena and facility, scholarships for Helena high school rodeo team members, and donations and sponsorships to community organizations.

The association is affiliated with the Northern Rodeo Association and the Northern Women’s Rodeo Association, and the Northern Rodeo Association sanctions roughly 40 rodeos each year in Montana. The East Helena organization’s modern history stretches back to 1963, with the formal association emerging in the late 1960s and a Certificate of Incorporation filed in 1972.

Burger talked about her parents showing up when they can and about the chance to keep competing on the road.